Assembly of acoustical members



April 23, 1963 o. c. ECKEL 3,

ASSEMBLY OF ACOUSTICAL MEMBERS Filed Jan. 27, 1961- 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN April 23, 1963 o. c. ECKEL ASSEMBLY OF ACOUSTICAL MEMBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 27. 1961 dam BY WU.@Z {W April 23, 1963 o. c. ECKEL 3,086 3 5 ASSEMBLY OF ACOUSTICAL MEMBERS Filed Jan. 27, 1961' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 wvsgvroa. BY M5. 1%

United States Patent 3,086,325 ASSEMBLY OF ACOUSTICAL MEMBERS Oliver C. Eckel, 155 Fawcett St., Carlisle, Mass. Filed Jan. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 85,280 9 Claims. (Cl. 50-101) This invention relates to an assembly of acoustical members or other articles especially for use in the inten'ors of rooms, acoustical chambers and the like.

In making an acoustical chamber the sound absorbing structures are supported by attaching them to the walls, ceilings or the like, and they are commonly attached as by screwing, one unit at a time, by the workmen making the installation, which is in a slow and tedious job, and when the structures are large and heavy it is difficult as well.

One object of my invention is to provide a said assembly having supports that can be attached to walls or the like in a room, previously to installing the sound absorbing devices, and that will receive said structures by merely sliding them into position on said supports, thus being able to make the installation to sound-proof a room in a short time with relatively unskilled labor.

Since it is desirable to position the wedge-shaped members in different positions it is another object to provide the sound absorbing devices with two pairs of connecting flanges so that either pair can connect with a said support thus enabling a workman to place a device in either of two dilferent angular positions without making any changes or adjustments therein.

A further object is to form said device of parts that can be made separately and readily assembled so as to make a unitary article of a joiner and sound absorbing members that can easily be slid onto said supports and correctly positioned by a simple movement.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention isbetter understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawings. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and therefore, I am not to be limited to the construction disclosed by the drawings nor to the particular parts described in the specification; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a sound absorbing device forming part of my assembly.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of said device taken at a right angle to the view shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an inner bottom elevational view of said device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, the sound absorbing devices being shown broken away.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view on a reduced scale of a support on which said devices are mounted in position of use.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 and adding two of said devices which are shown in mounted position on a said support to form my assembly, the sound absorbing devices being shown in elevation.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 5 and adding three of said devices which are shown in mounted position on'a said support to 'form my assembly, the sound absorbing devices being shown in elevation.

As illustrated, my assembly has a plurality of straps or supports 10 that are spaced apart as shown and screwed as at 12 to a wall, floor or ceiling W, for instance.

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Tracks r15, 16 and 17 are screwed as at 18 to, and form part of, said supports 10, only three tracks being shown for illustration. Each track has a main body, shown as a flat portion 20 from which extends inwardly a flange 22, and laterally opposite and spaced from the latter is another inturned flange 24, which flanges or rails also serve as retainers as later explained.

A sound absorbing device 26 or other article, embodies a joiner 28 having attaching portions 29 reinforced by corner pieces 30 and from which four sides 31 extend outwardly and which are reinforced by two angle pieces 32. Each said side has an extension of reduced width extending outwardly and a connecting flange that extends therefrom laterally inward and is of lesser length than the side 31 it extends from. Two of said extensions are given the numeral 33a and are laterally opposite each other, and the other two have the numeral 33b. Two of said connecting flanges that are oppositely disposed, are given the numeral 340, and the other two that are oppositely disposed are given the numeral 34b. There are cut-outs 36 at opposite ends of each said flange 34a and 64b to permit either pair of said joinerflanges, 34a or 34b, to slide into a connection with said track retainer flanges 22 and 24.

Attached to each said joiner 28 is one or more structures 40 such as the sound absorbing members shown, each having a main body of glass wool 42 or other material, herein shown, having wedge-shaped outer portions, and covered by an open-mesh member 44. Each said member 40 has, near its inner end, an angle connector having a relatively short outer portion 46 extending along a side and a relatively long inner or attaching portion 43- at a right angle to the latter. Screws 50 attach said inner portion 48 to said joiner 28 thus uniting the said sound absorbing members or structures '40 and joiner 28 so they can be handled as a unitary device.

In assembling my invention on a wall, one of a pair of said connecting flanges, either 34a or 34b, is retained by a said retainer flange 22 of one said track 16', while the other said flange of the pair, either 34a or 34b, is retained by a said retainer flange 24 of another said track 17. Thus the two said tracks 16 and 17 each provide a retainer flangefor the pair of connector flanges 34a of one said device 26 and also for the pair of connector flanges 34b of another said device 26 above or below the latter device, when the two devices are installed on the same two tracks 1-6 and 17. In this arrangement the outer or dihedral edges of said sound absorbing members 40 of one said device are disposed at right angles to those of the other said device. This is illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

Also in the assembly, it is desirable to position said devices 26 laterally adjoining each other so that the outer or dihedral edges of one of said device extend at right angles to said edges of the other device. In this event one of said flanges 34a of one said device and one of said flanges 34b of another said device will be on the same track. One said flange 34b is retained by a said retainer flange 22 and another said flange 34a by a retainer flange 24 as shown in said FIG. 6.

What I claim is:

1. An assembly of acoustical members comprising a support having two tracks, each said track having two inwardly extending retainer flanges spaced laterally apart, two sound absorbing devices each embodying a joiner attached to said tracks and having four right-angled side portions and four connector flanges extending angularly inward from said side portions, any two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed being of such size that they are receivable on, and overlapped by, one said retainer flange of one said track and one said retainer flange of another said track, and are slidable along said latter two retainer flanges.

2. An assembly of acoustical members comprising a support having two tracks, each said track having two inwardly extending retainer flanges spaced laterally apart, two sound absorbing devices each embodying a joiner attached to said tracks and having four right-angled side portions, four extensions continuing from, and being of lesser width than, said side portions, and four connector flanges extending angularly inward from said four extensions, any two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed being of such size that they are receivable on, and overlapped by, one said retainer flange of one said track and one said retainer flange of another said track, and are slidable along said latter two retainer flanges.

3. An assembly of acoustical members comprising a support having two tracks, each said track having two inwardly extending retainer flanges spaced laterally apart, two sound absorbing devices each embodying a joiner having a flat attaching portion attached to said tracks, four right-angled side portions extending from the latter, four extensions continuing from, and being of lesser width than, said side portions, and four connector flanges extending angularly inward from said four extensions, any two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed being of such size that they are receivable on, and overlapped by, one said retainer flange of one said track and one said retainer flange of another said track, and are slidable along said latter two retainer flanges.

4. An acoustical member comprising a joiner member of substantially rigid material and of substantially rectangular shape, said joiner member having normally extending portions along at least two opposed edges, said portions having inward and opposed extensions, and an acoustic sound absorbing member attached to said joiner on the side thereof opposite to that from which said extensions are located and extending outwardly therefrom.

5. An acoustical member comprising a joiner member of substantially rigid material and of substantially rectangular shape, said joiner member having two normally extending portions along at least two opposed edges, and two other normally extending portions along two other opposed edges, said portions having inward and opposed extensions, and an acoustic sound absorbing member attached to said joiner on the side thereof opposite to that from which said extensions are located and extending outwardly therefrom.

6. An acoustical member comprising a joiner member of substantially rigid material and of substantially rectangular shape, said joiner member having two normally extending portions along at least two opposed edges, and two other normally extending portions along two other opposed edges, said portions having inward and opposed extensions which are of lesser width than said portions, and an acoustic sound absorbing member attached to said joiner on the side thereof opposite to that from which said extensions are located and extending outwardly therefrom.

7. An acoustical member comprising a joiner member of substantially rigid material and of substantially rectangular shape, said joiner member having an attaching portion and having normally extending portions along at least two opposed edges, said latter portions having inward and opposed extensions, and an acoustic sound absorbing member attached to said joiner on the side thereof opposite to that from which said extensions are located and extending outwardly therefrom and comprising an angular portion extending alongside said sound absorbing member and another angular portion outside of and overlapping said latter member, and means attaching said latter angular portion and said joiner member attaching portion together.

8. An assembly of acoustical members comprising a support having three tracks spaced laterally apart, each said track having two inwardly extending retainer flanges spaced laterally apart, two sound absorbing devices each embodying a joiner having four right-angled side portions and four connector flanges of lesser width than, and extending angular-1y inward from said side portions, each said device embodying a sound absorbing member having a main body of sound absorbing material tapering in width towards the outside end, said body outside end of one said device extending at an angle to the body outside end of the other said device, two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed of one said device extending between the first and second of said tracks and overlapped by one said retainer flange of each of said latter two tracks, and two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed of the other said device extending between the second and third of said tracks and overlapped by a retainer flange of each of the latter two said tracks.

9. An assembly of acoustical members comprising a support having two tracks spaced laterally apart, each said track having two inwardly extending retainer flanges spaced laterally apart, two sound absorbing devices each embodying a joiner having four right-angled side portions and four connector flanges of lesser width than, and extending angularly inward from said side portions, each said device embodying a sound absorbing member having a main body of sound absorbing material tapering in width towards the outside end, said body outside end of one said device extending at an angle to the body outside end of the other said device, two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed of one said device extending between said two tracks and overlapped by one said retainer flange of each said track and two of said connector flanges that are oppositely disposed of the other said device extending between said two tracks and overlapped by a retainer flange of each of said two tracks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,070,150 Venzie Feb. 9, 1937 2,116,533 McCabe May 10, 1938 2,137,508 Powell Nov. 22, 1938 2,188,021 Thompson Jan. 23 1940 2,980,198 Eckel Apr. 18, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES Noise Control, The Penn State Anechoic Chamber, vol. 2, No. 5, Sept, 1956, pages 16-21 and 63.

Modern Plastics, soundproofing With Plastics, July, 1946, page 125.

Noise Control, Eckel Corporation, advertisement, vol. 2, No. 3, May, 1956, page 1, 

1. AN ASSEMBLY OF ACOUSTICAL MEMBERS COMPRISING A SUPPORT HAVING TWO TRACKS, EACH SAID TRACK HAVING TWO INWARDLY EXTENDING RETAINER FLANGES SPACED LATERALLY APART, TWO SOUND ABSORBING DEVICES EACH EMBODYING A JOINER ATTACHED TO SAID TRACKS AND HAVING FOUR RIGHT-ANGLED SIDE PORTIONS AND FOUR CONNECTOR FLANGES EXTENDING ANGULARLY INWARD FROM SAID SIDE PORTIONS, ANY TWO OF SAID CONNECTOR FLANGES THAT ARE OPPOSITELY DISPOSED BEING OF SUCH SIZE THAT THEY ARE RECEIVABLE ON, AND OVERLAPPED BY, ONE SAID RETAINER FLANGE OF ONE SAID TRACK AND ONE SAID RETAINER FLANGE OF ANOTHER SAID TRACK, AND ARE SLIDABLE ALONG SAID LATTER TWO RETAINER FLANGES. 